Mobile electric vehicle charging station system

ABSTRACT

A system for controlling mobile electric vehicle charging platforms includes a plurality of mobile charging platforms for charging an electric vehicle. At least one central server implements a mobile electric vehicle charging system. The mobile electric vehicle charging system further includes a communications interface for transmitting and receiving the control data between the at least one central server implementing the mobile electric vehicle charging system, the plurality of mobile charging platforms and the electric vehicle. A database stores mobile charging platform data and electric vehicle data. An artificial intelligence controller generates the control data to schedule the meeting location between the mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle responsive to first position data received from the mobile charging platform application, second position data received from the electric vehicle, the mobile charging platform data and the electric vehicle data.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/671,526, filed on May 15, 2018, entitled MOBILE ELECTRIC VEHICLECHARGING STATIONS (Atty. Dkt. No. IJUZ60-34137), which is incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The system is related to charging systems for electric vehicles, andmore particularly, to a system for providing a mobile electric vehiclecharging system for providing charging services to vehicles in transit.

BACKGROUND

Although electric vehicles (“EV(s)”) are becoming more popular, the lackof availability and access to public charging stations for the chargingof EVs remains one of the top hindrances to widespread EV adoption. Thehigh cost of construction and charging equipment (“Charger(s)”) hindersthe deployment of public EV charging stations (“EV Station(s)”),particularly the Level-3 Direct Current Fast Charger(s) (“DCFC”) whichare the most capital-intensive. Given the high cost of construction ofthese EV Stations which requires utility company intervention andstructural modification of the location designated for the placement ofChargers it is uneconomical to simply provision an EV Station with asingle Charger. Thus an EV Station tends to have at least two or moreChargers per EV Station. As such the current state of Charger deploymentas of the time of writing is about 17,000 EV Stations, hardly comparablein geographical distribution and density to the number of gasolinestations which number around 170,000 today. Thus, an EV driver ordrivers (“Driver(s)”) usually have to take a lengthy detour from theintended travelling route just to charge at such public EV Stationsbefore resuming their journey.

SUMMARY

The present invention, as disclosed and described herein, in one aspectthereof comprises a system for controlling mobile electric vehiclecharging platforms which includes a plurality of mobile chargingplatforms for charging an electric vehicle. Each of the plurality ofmobile charging platforms further includes an electric vehicle chargerfor charging the electric vehicle. The platform further includes a powersource for providing power to the electric vehicle charger and apositional tracking device for determining a first position of a mobilecharging platform. A mobile charging platform application implemented ona wireless device transmits and receives control data for scheduling ameeting location between the mobile charging platform and an electricvehicle responsive to the first position of the mobile charging platformand a second position of an electric vehicle. At least one centralserver implements a mobile electric vehicle charging system. The mobileelectric vehicle charging system further includes a communicationsinterface for transmitting and receiving the control data between the atleast one central server implementing the mobile electric vehiclecharging system, the plurality of mobile charging platforms and theelectric vehicle. A database stores mobile charging platform data andelectric vehicle data. An artificial intelligence controller generatesthe control data to schedule the meeting location between the mobilecharging platform and the electric vehicle responsive to first positiondata received from the mobile charging platform application, secondposition data received from the electric vehicle, the mobile chargingplatform data and the electric vehicle data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding, reference is now made to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingDrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the interactions of a mobileelectric vehicle charging system;

FIG. 2 illustrates a mobile electric vehicle station charging scenario;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile charging platform;

FIG. 4 illustrates a mobile electric vehicle charging network overview;

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of the mobile electric vehiclecharging system;

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of various mobile applications usedby the mobile electric vehicle charging system;

FIG. 7 illustrates a generic system for managing and reserving chargingstations;

FIG. 8 illustrates an electric vehicle charging management system;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for using the electricvehicle charging management system;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a central controller of an electricvehicle charging management system;

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a charging unit of an electricvehicle charging management system;

FIG. 12 illustrates an AC coupled charging unit;

FIG. 13 illustrates a DC coupled charging unit;

FIG. 14 illustrates an inductively or capacitively coupled chargingunit;

FIG. 15 illustrates a central management control system and itsinteraction with electric vehicle charging management system components;

FIG. 16 illustrates a medical/mobility device charging managementsystem;

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a central management server of amedical/mobility device charging management system;

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a user application of a medical/mobilitydevice charging management system;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a charging unit of a medical/mobilitydevice charging management system;

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram illustrating the process for generating areservation in the medical/mobility device charging management system;

FIG. 21 illustrates an individual user using the medical/mobility devicecharging management system during a particular trip; and

FIG. 22 illustrates a further configuration of the charging unitsincluded within a group of one or more lockers;

FIG. 23 illustrates a block diagram of an intelligent charging adapterfor use with a dumb charging system;

FIG. 24 illustrates a charging adapter that mates with a chargeconnector of a charging system;

FIG. 25 illustrates a flow diagram of the process occurring when acharging adapter is connected with the charging system;

FIG. 26 illustrates a functional block diagram of the intelligentcharging adapter; and

FIG. 27 illustrates a flow diagram of the manner in which theintelligent charging adapter controls a charging process between acharger and an electric vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers are usedherein to designate like elements throughout, the various views andembodiments of mobile electric vehicle charging station system areillustrated and described, and other possible embodiments are described.The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instancesthe drawings have been exaggerated and/or simplified in places forillustrative purposes only. One of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate the many possible applications and variations based on thefollowing examples of possible embodiments.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the system described herein is a mobile EVcharging system 102 (“MEC”) for the reservation of, and the deploymentand use of chargers that are incorporated into a mobile chargingplatform 104 such as a truck or van, or a container module that can betransported, and which can then be dispatched on an “as-needed” basis tomeet a requesting driver of an electric vehicle 106 (“EV”) at apre-arranged location for a charging session. Communications between theMEC 102, the mobile charging platform 104 and the EV 106 areaccomplished using applications 108 that are associated with each of themobile charging platform 104 and EV 106. Extending the concept, thesystem uses vehicles for the mobile charging platform 104 that can carrythe EV 106 on board to charge it while travelling on the road towardsthe EV's intended post-charging destination. For example, such carriervehicles may take the form of flatbed equipped trucks to carry/transportand simultaneously charge the EV 106 that is requiring the charge. Thetruck could continue to travel the original route of the requestingdriver while the EV 106 is being charged such that the overall triptravel time is not compromised for the sake of charging the EV. Anothertype of carrier might be an enclosed trailer that is hauled by a“tractor” as is typical for an “18-wheeler” tractor-trailer that is usedfor the transportation of goods and equipment.

The MEC 102 embodies the use of economy sharing or crowdsourcingtechniques to utilize existing resources already available in thegeneral economy (the “crowd”) to provide various assets and servicessuch as independently owned flatbed trucks, tow-trucks,tractor-trailers, mobile food truck operators, charging outlets andstations that may or may not be supplemented with IoT(Internet-of-Things) control devices for automated reservation, etc. MEC102 also uses technology and techniques commonly employed in Cloudapplications such as redundancy and self-healing networks forreliability, databases, IoT, use of Internet, WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.data networks, radio and satellite communications, artificialintelligence, etc.

Note that while the present descriptions describes charging of thebatteries onboard an EV 106, the concept is applicable for thereplenishment of other depleted energy storage devices such ashydrogen-fueled vehicles, or the charging of other electrical andnon-electrical apparatuses. For simplification of the discussion theinvention described herein will explicitly describe the use of theinvention as it is applied to charging EVs 106.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated the general scenario forimplementation of a mobile EV charging station 102 and FIG. 3illustrating a block diagram of a mobile EV charging station 202. Mobilestations (“mStation(s)”) 202 consist of vehicles or transportableplatforms/containers that are equipped with chargers 302 powered byelectricity generators 304 that run on gasoline, diesel fuel or anothermotor powered source, or banks of batteries 306 capable of supplyingcontinuous direct current that may be used as is, or converted tovarious DC voltages, or converted into AC power. In this discussion, anmStation 202 that is equipped with battery banks 306 as the EV charger302 power source is designated as an “mBStation.” If the mobile platformof the mBStation is an autonomous vehicle, the mStation 202 isdesignated as an “mABStation”, and if the charger 302 is powered by anelectrical generator 304, the mStation is designated as a “mGStation”.The mStation 202 further includes a system mobile application 308 forproviding communications and control from the mobile EV charging system102 through a wireless communications interface. The mStation 202further includes a vehicle securing apparatus 310 for securing a vehicleonto the mobile charging platform so that the vehicle can continue to betransported toward their destination while the vehicle is being charged.The vehicle securing apparatus 310 may comprise clamps, chains, etc. forsecuring the vehicle in a fashion that prevents its movement duringtransport. Although the invention is applicable to various scenarios ofequipment charging modalities such as the charging of computers orproviding localized micro grid power for special events such as fairs orconventions, for convenience this invention is described in the scenarioof mobile charging stations for charging EVs. Further, unless specifiedotherwise, the reference to mStation 202 will presume to apply to bothan mB Station and an mGStation.

In such an mobile EV charging system 102 it is envisaged that the mobilecarrier 202 for the charger 302 could be a van, truck or other suitablevehicle or container. One particular useful embodiment would be the useof a flatbed truck as is customarily used in emergency road serviceoperations for the transportation of vehicles that may have stalled onthe roadway, is inoperable due to a depleted battery, and/or have runout of fuel, and in the case of EVs 206, one that has a low batterycharge. In such a scenario of a flatbed truck as the carrier for anmStation 202, the EV 206 that is in need of a charge can be placed ontothe flatbed of the truck and connected to an onboard charger 302 so thatthe EV 206 could be charged while it is being transported by the flatbedtruck along the original route plotted for the EV, thus eliminating anydead time just for charging the EV. As an added benefit, the mStation202 may be equipped with certain amenities such as hot and cold drinksor other concessions 312, and/or the mStation driver/operator(“mOperator”) may be commissioned to pick up such refreshments atappropriate vendors (“Vendor(s)”) prior to the rendezvous at therendezvous point 208, or a mobile vendor (mVendor”) 210 may be includedat the rendezvous point 208. Thus, a driver would have refreshmentsduring the time that his EV 206 is charging on the mStation 202. Inaddition the rendezvous point 208 could have been set at places of restalong the trip route, which has amenities such as restrooms andrefreshments. In the extreme, large carriers such as tractor-trailerscould be provisioned and configured as meeting/rest facilities onwheels, which would be equipped with all the trappings of a motel orguest house. Also, while it is not shown, the carrier could be a towtruck that pulls the EV 206 along while the driver sits in the cab ofthe tow truck as it continues on the driver's trip, while charging. Itis envisaged that such charging services would garner fees for theservice as to make the provision of mStations 202 a profitable service.Alternatively, an mOperator may simply rendezvous with the reservingdriver along the driver's planned route at optimal times and locationsas to minimize the time loss for recharging by the need to detour a longdistance to a stationary charging station. In the latter case where adriver simply requests a charge at a rendezvous point 208, avan-equipped charging equipment, or other cost-effective mobile mStationconfiguration may more economically be used for such temporarystationary rendezvous.

The charger 302 for the EV mStation 202 will likely be provisioned witha Level-2 or Level-3 charger. Battery bank(s) 306 may supply power forthe charger or an engine powered electrical generator(s) 304. If thedriver desires to minimize his stationary time while charging he wouldbest be served by a flatbed, tow-truck, or tractor-trailer mStation 202so that he can continue on his journey while in the process of gettinghis EV 206 charged. In such a case the mStation 202 would be equippedwith either a Level-2 or Level-3 Charger 302 depending on the needs ofthe requesting EV driver. A Level-2 charger 302 would take at least anhour to provide sufficient charge for the EV 206 to travel between 25 to50 miles for an hour's charge. A Level-3 DCFC fast charger may onlyrequire 15 minutes of charging time to provide the equivalent amount ofcharge as a Level-2 charger taking 2 hours. All these options will beautomatically assessed and initiated by MEC 102 and matched to therequesting driver's criteria and the appropriate mStation 202 will bedispatched at the appropriate time to rendezvous with the driver.

The mStations 202 are continuously tracked and their itineraries arerefreshed continuously as submitted by the mOperator. When a driversubmits a routing plan via a driver mobile app (“dApp”) 108 a that isconnected to MEC 102 via an Internet cloud (the “Cloud”) or otherwireless communications network/environment, the MEC matches up and tagsseveral mStations 202 a whose operating areas coincide with the driver'splanned travel route and times (“Trip Plan”) as submitted by the driver.Any mStation 202 b that is not within a defined range will be excludedfrom bidding to accept the requested reservation. Such exclusions mayalso result from mOperators having already booked other rendezvous atother times that may overlap with the current request. Various protocolsmay be set by the administrator of MEC 102 (the “Administrator”) whichgoverns the reservation and fulfillment process, taking into accountinstances of “no-shows” where either the driver and/or the mOperator 202fails to show up for the rendezvous. Such protocols are at thediscretion of the Administrator. In addition, the artificialintelligence (“AI”) in MEC 102 could be assigned the responsibility forresolving such issues as will be more fully described herein below.

MEC 102 operates round the clock, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day(24X7) and continuously monitors the locations of the mOperators thathave set their status as being available (‘on-call’). Such status may beset via the mOperator's smart device app (“mApp”) 108 b which isconnected via the cloud and matched to candidate mOperators that couldintercept and meet the driver at pre-arranged rendezvous point 208.Bookings and confirmations between the mOperators and the driver may bemade either by manual interaction between the mOperator and the driverthrough their respective apps 108, within pre-defined parameters thatensures that the tagged parties are able to make the scheduledrendezvous. As both parties are likely moving. i.e. mobile, the MEC 102is continuously or regularly assessing the time window within which therendezvous is possible, and should either party (the driver or selectedmOperator) move out of the time window, the MEC 102 will alert theerrant party and provide instructions to come back into compliance withthe time window or risk having the rendezvous reservation cancelled,with attendant penalties and protocols as may be instituted by the MECAdministrator.

As the intention for implementing MEC 102 is to provide charging serviceto drivers, it is likely that the MEC would be set to allow the drivergreater flexibility on adhering to the time window and puts the onus onthe mOperator to adjust his movements to conform to the needs of thedriver. Thus, when a driver decides to make an unscheduled stop, the MEC102 is able to adjust the parameters of the rendezvous and evenre-allocate the reservation to a different mOperator should the driver'stravel actions change the dynamics of the pending reservation; all ofwhich are subject to monetary penalties that may be imposed by the MEC,as set by the administrator. These adjustments to the reservationdynamics will be made by the MEC 102 continuously or regularly once adriver's reservation request is confirmed and his location iscontinuously monitored. Simultaneously, the MEC 102 will monitor thelocation of the mOperator that has been tagged to fulfill the rendezvousreservation.

The MEC 102 could sync up the location finders on both the mOperator'slocation finder system or global positioning system (“GPS”) 314 in thisexample, with the requesting driver's GPS location and regularly updatesboth systems and inform the respective parties of the estimated time ofarrival (“ETA”) of each other to the scheduled rendezvous location. Themobile apps 108 of each party will show the real-time locations of eachother and the projected destination and arrival times of each party. Anydisconnects or differences between the two parties' projecteddestination locations will cause an alarm and triggers an interventionprotocol with specific instructions and actions, such as messagingbetween the two parties and/or parties' GPS systems in order to correctthe rendezvous destination points 208 so as to coincide into one singlelocation. The administrator can set parameters governing the rendezvoussuch as the allowable time for deviation from the reserved rendezvoustime, the type of responding mOperator (eg. flatbed truck, or enclosedcontainer, type of charging equipment, etc.). Again, the MEC 102 or theadministrator has the ability to undertake necessary protocols inhandling such deviations, as may be agreed to by contract with areserving MEC member driver.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the MEC network comprises the controlling MECsystem 402, various apps 404 that are operated by different types ofusers ranging from drivers 406, mStations 408 operated by mOperators,vendors, mVendors 410, fixed EV Charging Stations 412, the MECAdministrator (not shown) and a payment processor (“Processor”) 414. Adriver 406 initiates a request for a charge reservation session via hisdApp 404 a which is connected to the MEC 402 via the cloud 416 rangingfrom a one-time charge near his current location to a series of chargesat different locations according to a Trip Plan. The request isprocessed by the MEC 402, which manages the resources and partiesassociated with the driver's request. Such request may require a simplelook-up by the MEC 402 of available fixed EV charging stations 412 nearhis location to a complicated Trip Plan which involves making rendezvousalong the route with several mOperators with varying equipment, andpossibly arranging rendezvous with mobile vendors 410 supplying food anddrinks, and processing payments via a payment processor 414.

The mStations 408 a, 408 b may take the form of tow trucks, vans,flatbed truck, tractor-trailer, etc that are equipped with chargers 302connected to battery banks 306, and/or powered electrical generators 304such as those that are powered by diesel fuel, or even hydrogen asdescribed above. It is expected that such carriers would be provisionedwith either Level-2 or Level-3 chargers as Level-1 chargers would taketoo long to charge an EV 406 at a temporary rendezvous. However, anautonomous mBStation “mABStation” 408 c may be provisioned with a bankof Level-1 outlets for use as a transportable stationary EV stationwhere prolonged charging may be feasible such as parking lots foremployees, trade fairs, etc. All Level-1, Level-2 and/or Level-3chargers and associated equipment and accessories are compliant withcurrent governing standards of design and use, and as standards evolveand are adopted this invention assumes compliance with all necessarystandards and governing bodies.

In the case of an mStation 408 a that is equipped with battery banksconnected to chargers 302, the charger battery bank(s) 306 may bereplenished either continuously or occasionally via plugging into thegrid, or by trickle charging via an on-board solar cell array(s), a windgenerator, or even a small powered electrical generator. In other words,an mStation's charger battery bank(s) 306 must be recharged whenever itis discharged in charging an EV 406, and this invention contemplatessome mechanism for recharging the onboard charger battery bank(s).

In the event that an mStation carries multiple chargers 302, chargecontrollers will be used to manage the distribution of electricity drawnby multiple EVs 406 from the multiple chargers. This invention alsocontemplates the need for mStations 408 to carry different charger typesand charging cables to manage compatibility with different makes of EVs406. As discussed herein below, an artificial intelligence module (“AI”)and the EV charging system module (“EVCS”) within the MEC 402 willmanage the protocols associated with the various charging parameters anddriver needs.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is more particularly illustrated a blockdiagram of a mobile EV charging system (“MEC”) 402. The mobile EVcharging system or MEC 402 as defined earlier and is comprised of manycontroller modules of hardware and software elements, and combinationsthereof that perform specific functions. MEC 402 itself operates via thecloud over the internet as either a centralized or distributedcomputer-based control system that is administered by the MEC systemoperator earlier defined as the “administrator.” The administratorinteracts with MEC 402 directly, wirelessly and/or remotely through thecloud using a smart device such as a smartphone or a computer such as alaptop computer.

The artificial intelligence (AI) controller module 502 is the brains ofthe entire MEC system 402 and manages several control modules such asdepicted in FIG. 5 and these controller modules need not reside in thesame computer, may be distributed across many devices and are likelyoperating remotely through the cloud and in some instances directlythrough cellular data networks. The controller modules interact with oneanother under the supervision or control of AI 502 and these controllermodules may control other processes remotely via the cloud or viacellular data links. Depending on the implementation and use of MEC 402,the AI controller module 502 could be as simple as a hard-wired logiccircuitry with limited functionality or as advanced as a self-learningcomputerized module that continues to improve in its decision-makingrelevance and accuracy over time. In addition, the intelligence andfunctionality of the AI controller module 502 may be distributed withinor outside the physical confines of one or more computers connectedeither wirelessly or through direct physical connections.

The Reservation & Trip Planning (“RTP”) Controller Module 504 isresponsible for creating trip plans as requested by drivers. Forexample, upon logging into his dApp 404 a, a driver may specify thestart and end points of a trip he is planning with stops along the wayto visit a place or places of interest. The dApp 404 a requires thedriver to activate his GPS function 506 on his phone, which is engagedby the RTP controller module 504. RTP 504 manages the trip planningprocess at 508 under the supervision of the AI controller module 502 andmakes recommendations for recharging stops along the way based on drivercriteria, which may have been preset by the driver and recorded in hisprofile within the Member Administration & Records (“MAR”) controllermodule 510 and ultimately in the Database module (“Database”) 512 asshown in FIG. 5. RTP 504 keeps track of the availability and use of allEV stations and mStations using functionality 514. The AI module 502 inconjunction with RTP 504 initiates corrective protocols 516 in responseto actions during the trip as may be initiated by either the mStation408 or the driver, or necessitated by unexpected disruptions such asroad accidents, constructions, etc. When a reservation request orrequests is submitted by a driver, RTP 504 will reconcile the request(s)with pre-existing parameters that may have been set by the station andmStation operators as to availability and times of operation, availablecharger equipment, etc and flag any reservation mismatches to AI 502which handles contention resolution 518, and necessary communicationswith the associated parties.

When a Trip Plan has been scheduled by RTP 504, at appropriate times theMobile Operator Dispatch (“MOD”) Controller Module 520 will dispatch theappropriate mOperator(s) with the appropriate mStation 408 to rendezvousat the same anticipated time, or close thereto with the driver through adispatch function 522. MOD 520 will use the appropriate means ofconnecting with the respective driver and mOperator whether throughradio communications and/or voice/text messages, etc. using acommunications interface 524. In conjunction with the AI module 502 andRTP 514, as necessary, MOD 520 will dispatch alternativemOperators/mStations to replace errant mOperators and/or malfunctioningmStations, always in concert with AI and other elements of MEC asappropriate through dispatch function 522.

The EVCS Controller Module 526 attends to the processes of charging thedriver's EV 406. EV 406 designs usually differ in make and model of EVsas each may be equipped with different battery technology, differentcharging mechanisms and battery management systems, capacity, etc. Thus,each EV 406 has a charging protocol that may differ from one anothersuch as in the charging rate, ambient temperature, etc. The EVCScontroller module 526 in conjunction with the AI module 502 controlsthese protocols. In addition EVCS monitors the amount of energy used inrecharging the EV, the time of the charging sequence, etc. and updatesthe member's record in the MAR controller module 510 and the database512 using charge monitoring functionalities 528. EVCS 526 controls theswitching of power to the charger 302 and/or to the EV 406 uponappropriate validation of the EV and/or driver for the reserved chargingsession(s) through validation functionalities 530. Validation 530 willinclude affirmation of the member driver's ID, account status as tofunds availability, restrictions imposed, functionalities subscribedfor, etc.

Vendor Management (“VM”) Controller Module 532 enables the management ofvendors associated with the MEC 402. As an EV driver undertakes a triphis real-time position is continuously tracked and made available tosubscribing MEC vendor/mVendors (collectively vendors, unless thecontext suggests otherwise) who may choose to promote their wares and/orservices. These activities are managed by the vendor controller module532 as well as vendor specific processes such as maintenance of thevendor profile 534 in conjunction with the database 512. When a drivermakes a long trip such as from Vancouver to Denver which is a distanceof over 2,000 km, an EV 406 has to recharge its batteries several timesalong the way. MEC 402 with AI 502 and other modules can analyze thetrip plan route and propose optimum recharge locations and times alongthe route that would minimize the idle time spent recharging. MEC 402maintains a real-time map 536 of all EV charging locations along theroute that can be readily accessed by the driver and in conjunction withthe VM controller module 532 make recommendations for appropriaterestaurants near such recharging spots so that the driver may engage ina parallel activity such as dining while his EV 406 is being recharged.Alternatively, AI 502 may incorporate rendezvous with mStations 408along parts of the route where fixed stations may be scarce or too faroff the trip plan route using a trip planning functionality (vendor) 538which will also incorporate scheduling of mVendors to rendezvous withthe subscribing EV driver member. Such a trip plan may be preparedinteractively between the driver and MEC 402 and may incorporatepre-registered preferences in the driver's profile within the database512. AI 502 may also interact with the VM 532 to schedule food deliveryto specific rendezvous points if the driver does not plan to use aflatbed mStation through food deliver functionalities 540. Theregistered mobile food vendor (“mVendor”) may use his vendor mobile app(“vApp”) 404 b to interact with MEC 402 and/or with the driver and AI502 will coordinate his delivery logistics into the rendezvous schedulein the trip plan. The MEC 402 tracks the positions of all the drivers,vendors and mOperators via their respective mobile apps 404, dApp, vAppand mApp, and AI 502 uses the position data to correlate and synchronizeall the parties involved in any specific rendezvous.

The ePort Management (“EM”) controller module 542 manages ePorts and IoTdevices that are described in greater detail herein below and in otherassociated applications such as U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/279,426, filed on Feb. 19, 2019, entitled “METHOD AND DEVICE FORCONVERTING STANDALONE EV CHARGING STATIONS INTO INTELLIGENT STATIONSWITH REMOTE COMMUNICATIONS CONNECTIVITY AND CONTROL”; U.S. Patent App.No. 62/770,263, filed on Nov. 21, 2018, entitled “A UNIVERSAL AUTOMATEDSYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING, REGISTERING AND VERIFYING THE EXISTENCE,LOCATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF ELECTRIC AND OTHER POWER OUTLETS BYRANDOM USERS AND FOR RETRIEVAL AND UTILIZATION OF SUCH PARAMETRIC DATAAND OUTLETS BY ALL USERS”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/477,669,filed on Apr. 3, 2017, entitled “AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR MANAGING ANDPROVIDING A NETWORK OF CHARGING STATIONS”; U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/436,768, filed on Dec. 20, 2016, entitled “AN AUTOMATED SYSTEMFOR MANAGING AND PROVIDING A NETWORK OF CHARGING STATIONS”, and U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/316,659, filed on Apr. 1, 2016, entitled“SYSTEM FOR MANAGING A VARIABLE NETWORK OF ONE OR MORE BRAND COMPATIBLEELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS” each of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety.

The ePort in its simplest embodiment is an IoT device that is used tocontrol access to an energy source such as a 110V AC outlet. Part of theEM control module 542 functionality includes such protocols as theidentification and verification 544 of the ePort user which may beembedded in the ePort itself whereas the scheduling functionality of theePort may be resident within the same computer system as the AI module502. ePorts and other such IoT devices are described in greater detailin a separate invention cited above. The EM control module 542 managesthe protocols and processes associated with engaging IoT-enabledcharging stations such as ePorts. Other IoT devices such as a J1772compatible adapter called a Cameo device referenced above andincorporated herein by reference may be used in both fixed location EVcharging stations 412 or mobile EV charging stations (“mStations”) 408.

The MAR Controller Module 510 enables member records and administrationprocessing by the MEC 402. Only members of the MEC 402 may use the MECand each member must register in the MEC and provide personalparticulars using registration functionalities 511 as defined by theAdministrator. Such particulars may include biographical and credit carddata for purposes of member validation in using the MEC 402 and forpayment processing as required. The MAR controller module 510 works inconjunction with the database 512 and AI 502. The MAR controller module510 is open-ended in that profile changes and quantum of informationrecorded may vary over time. EV station 412 and mStation 408 usage andsession incidents statistics are maintained by usage functionalities 513and frequently reviewed by AI 502 for usage patterns that may call formarketing interventions.

The Financial Administration (“FA”) Module 546 controls the paymentprocesses of the system. Only members of MEC 402 may use MEC and eachmember must register in MEC 402 and provide personal biographical andfinancial information and pay member fees and usage fees whenever theyuse an EV charging station that is registered on the MEC system. The FAcontrol module 546 manages the collection and integrity of such data aswell as interaction with third party financial organizations such asbanks and credit card processors, and systems such as ApplePay andGooglePay, etc and enables reporting of custom reports as desired by thevarious parties that use MEC 402.

The Autonomous Vehicle Control (“AVC”) Controller Module 550 handlesinteractions and control of autonomous, self-driving mStations in theMEC system 402. As standards and protocols evolve, MEC 402 and AVC 550will adapt. AVC 550 in conjunction with the AI 502 module and othermodules will interact with autonomous mABStations to engage them inrendezvous with drivers. As technology and standards evolve AVC 550 willincorporate functions in step with these evolutions and extend controlsand operations to different carriers and applications that go beyondmerely rendezvousing with drivers to provide charging. In the exampleprovided in FIG. 2 an mABStation 408 c is shown configured as adriverless van equipped with two Level-2 Chargers accessible from theoutside of the van which requires intervention by the driver 406 inactivating the chargers which are powered by batteries inside the van.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there are illustrated the various mobile appused in the invention. The mobile apps pertain to usage by differentcategories of users of the MEC system 402 such as the EV Driver (dApp)604, the mOperator (mApp) 606 of an mStation, a mobile Vendor/mVendor(vApp) 608 and the MEC Administrator (aAPP) 610. In general these appsare software applications running on smart devices with wirelessconnectivity and access to the Internet.

The dApp 604 for drivers provides the driver with trip planningcapabilities 612 for planning a trip and associated charging stops. EVstation search and reservation functionalities 614 allow the driver tosearch for and make reservations with both mobile and fixed chargingstations. The account details functionalities 616 allow the driver toaccess, review and manage the driver's account details within thedatabase 512. Financial functionalities 618 enable the driver topurchase usage credits, update MEC membership, attend to vendortransaction payments, etc. The communications functionalities 620facilitate communications with an mOperator, other drivers, other MECusers and the MEC administrator or designees.

The mApp 606 for mOperators and the mStation operators include statusfunctionalities 622 allowing mOperators access to the MEC system 402 tochange his service status (reserved, available, etc.). The accountdetails functionalities 624 provides access to and management of themOperator's specific account profile within the database 512. TheCommunications functionalities facilitate communications with drivers,other mOperators, other MEC users and the MEC administrator ordesignees.

The vApp 608 for vendors such as restaurants, cafes, and mobilefoodtruck operators include advertising functionalities 628 enabling theability of posting ads and running of promotions for presentation todrivers through the MEC 402. Order functionalities 630 accept orders formerchandise such as food from drivers or mobile platform operators. Thecommunications functionalities 632 facilitates communications withdrivers, other vendors, other MEC users and the MEC administrator ordesignees. Finally, the aApp 610 for the MEC system administratorincludes remote access functionalities 634 to provide full remote accessto MEC system by the administrator.

A general specifications of IoT devices, herein referred to as an ePortand Cameo, are described in the Appendix. The various details of anelectric vehicle or device charging system that may be used as part ofthe MEC 402 is more fully described herein below with respect to FIGS.7-27.

FIG. 7 illustrates a generic representation of an electrical devicecharging management system 702. The system 702 includes a centralcontrol server 704 that is responsible for providing centralizedmanagement of the charging management system responsive to a variety ofsystem inputs. The central control server 704 manages a number ofcharging hubs 706 that it communicates with via a network 708 such asthe Internet. The charging hubs 706 include one or more charging portsthat enable an electrically powered device to be connected and charged.The central control server 704 stores a variety of information relatedto registered system users and their associated electrically powereddevices that are to be charged at the charging hubs 706. The informationcollected and stored can be used for reserving charging hubs 706,controlling the charging periods of the electrically powered deviceconnected to the charging hub 706 and for enabling payment of chargingservices provided by the charging hubs. The users of the system are ableto interact with the central control server 704 using a mobileapplication 710 that is stored upon a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, personal data assistants, etc. that belongsto the user and provides the ability to interconnect with the centralcontrol server 704 via the connecting network 708 such as the Internet.The mobile application 710 would be downloaded onto the userscommunication device, and the user would register with the centralcontrol server 704 enabling the user to make reservations and findinformation with respect to the variety of charging hubs 706 that are apart of the charging management system 702 or which may be owned byother vendors that are compatible with the system. In such cases thesystem may only provide management and accounting and payment processes.The mobile application 710 would also enable new vendors that offer theservices of charging units to register with the system.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is more particularly illustrated oneembodiment of a charging management system 802 for electric vehicles.The system 802 provides closed loop accounting of the electric vehiclecharging process starting from matching the electric vehicle to thecharger unit 806, reserving the charger unit, engaging the charger unit,measuring the electricity delivered from the charger unit and collectingand disbursing payment. The electric vehicle charging management system802 includes an electric vehicle charging control server 804 thatcontrols and manages all system operations enabling user devices to makereservations, connect with and control charging with a variety ofelectrical vehicle chargers 806. The control server 804 may furtherenable charging of electrical vehicles by appointment or charging byreservation of other types of portable electric devices. The chargingmanagement and reservation system 802 could just as well be applied tonon-electric powered vehicles that utilize other types of fuel for powergeneration such as hydrogen fuel which requires recharging of hydrogentanks and even gasoline powered cars may benefit from a mechanism forreserving gasoline pumps in certain circumstances such as gasolinerationing which occurred in prior periods of energy crisis. The electricvehicle users are able to interact with the system 802 using a mobiledevice application 808 installed, for example, on their smartphone. Asdiscussed before, interactions between the control server 804, chargingunits 806 and mobile device application 808 occur over a central network810 such as the Internet. A particular electrical vehicle charging unit806 can provide the chargers and appropriate connections for one or moretypes of electrical vehicles, such as electric bikes, electric golfcarts, electric motorized wheelchairs, electric shopping carts, etc.

The growing deployment of electric vehicles create a need for widespreadelectrical chargers 806 that are conveniently and strategically locatedat points of interest. The control server 704 enables a network ofchargers 806 to be managed within a wireless/wired automated environmentenabling individuals and/or owners of specific brands of electricalvehicles to rent out their chargers 806 for charging compatible electricvehicles. For example, an owner of a Tesla can offer other Tesla driversthe use of their home/premises charging apparatus for a designated fee.The management system 802 is able to match a user with a particularcharger 806 by way of the mobile device application 808. The mobiledevice application 808 in addition to matching users with chargingstations 806 makes use of the central management control system server804 via the network 810 to enable the dispensation of electricity to theelectric vehicles, control various electricity-metering apparatus andprovide for an automated reservation, billing and payment processingmechanism for payment of use of the electrical vehicle chargers 806 toenable owners of the electrical vehicle chargers 806 to become a part ofthe charging management system 802.

Referring now to FIG. 9, there is illustrated a flow diagram describingthe use of an electric vehicle charging management system 802 asdiscussed with respect to FIG. 8. Through the mobile device application808, a user of an electric vehicle request at step 902 a location of aelectric vehicle charger unit 806 that is compatible with their brand ofvehicle. The charging control server 804 matches the vehicle to one ormore appropriate vehicle chargers 806 at step 904 responsive to theposition of the vehicle and the type of charger required to charge thevehicle. Next, the availability of the located chargers 806 isdetermined at step 906 to determine which of the chargers is availablefor charging of the vehicle. The time availability may be based upon arequested time or a projected time based upon the travel plan. Uponconfirmation of the availability of the charging units 806, the user isto select one of the available charging units 806 and an appointmentwith the specific charging unit 806 is made by the charging controlserver 804, and the driver is notified of this appointment through theirmobile application 808. Alternatively the user may elect to allow thesystem to select one of the many available 806 chargers pursuant topreset user preferences or to a system provided artificial intelligencesystem (AIS) which makes the election for them. Part of the appointmentprocess may involve a full or partial payment being made by the driver'saccount subject to the charging functionalities of the charging controlserver 804. The driver may then travel to the designated charging unit806 to obtain the vehicle charge.

Upon arrival at the designated charging unit 806, the vehicle isconnected at step 910 with the designated charger that has beenpredetermined to be compatible with the particular electric vehiclebrand that needs charging. Based on published utility rates, the amountof electricity consumed during the charge process and the location ofthe charging unit 806, the charging control server 804 can determine theamount to be collected from the registered driver's credit card or otherregistered payment sources such as PayPal at step 912 to completepayment for the charging services. Determination of electricityconsumption can be facilitated by several means and mechanisms includingin-line and inductive metering within the charging circuit to theelectric vehicle or from data generated by the electric vehicle whichmay be accessible via Bluetooth or other wireless transmissions. Withthe advent of smart metering capability installed by utilities tomonitor on premise electricity usage the electricity consumed via usersusing our system such information may be transmitted to our system forusage accounting and billing. Alternatively, the charging profiles fromthe electric vehicle manufacturer could be automatically referenced togenerate an estimate of the electricity consumption that can be billedto the drivers' charging accounts for collection.

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a functional blockdiagram of the charging control server 804. The charging control server804 includes a charging apparatus database 1002 that includes all of theelectrical vehicle charging units 806 that have registered with thesystem for providing charging locations for electric vehicles. Thedatabase 1002 includes information such as number of charging ports andthe types of electric vehicles for which the charging units 806 may beused. Databases within the charging controller server 804 comprisedatabases that provide data for performing complex real-time matching ofthe location of an electric vehicle on the road and searching for acharging unit 806 to determine the charging unit that is closest to thevehicle using the charger locator controller 1004. More complex matchingrequests may incorporate destination routing referencing so that theelectric vehicle driver may select a charger that is on the way to theelectric vehicle's destination, or a mobile charging station that canrendezvous with the electric vehicle. The database 1002 may also storeinformation related to the registered electric vehicle such as the lasttime the electric vehicle was charged, the state of charge to enable thesystem to estimate the battery exhaustion time and recommended charginglocations that an electric vehicle could reach before running out ofpower. A charger locator controller 1004 determines charging units 806that may possibly be utilized for charging the electrical vehicle basedupon information stored within the charging apparatus database 1002 andvehicle position and type information provided from the mobile deviceapplication 808 of the driver of the electric vehicle. In addition, alink 1005 to an AIS 1003 may be provided for the purpose of providingmore sophisticated trip planning that incorporates various biometricdata that may prompt more frequent stops for health necessities or prioruser trip patterns. With the pending availability of autonomous vehicleplatforms, mobile charging stations will become available and AIS 1003could also be used to coordinate dynamic scheduling of rendezvous pointsfor charging the electric vehicle. The artificial intelligence system1003 may make decisions regarding trip planning without requiringspecific user input but by only relying upon provided or monitoredsystem information.

An appointment database 1006 stores information for chargingappointments that are made by vehicle drivers with respect to particularcharging units 806. The appointment database 1006 indicates a chargingunit 806 and times that the charging unit is presently scheduled to becharging a particular vehicle. An appointment controller 1008 generatesa listing of possible appointment times for a charging unit 806 to themobile device application 808 responsive to a user request and receivesand stores a user selection for a particular appointment time for acharging unit 806 that a driver has selected.

A payment database 1010 stores payment information for registered systemusers. The payment database 1010 stores information required to enablepayment for charging sessions via credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, orother payment mechanisms. The payment controller 1012 controlsinteractions with the mobile device application 808, charginginformation within the charging control server 804 and the vendoraccounts for the charging unit 806 enable transfer of funds from acharging vehicle to a vendor responsible for the charging unit 806providing a charging session. Various payment schemes may be stored indatabase 1010 such as the use of stored credit resulting from advancedeposits or some protocol for a system of membership debits and creditswhereby members may opt to accumulate credits by provide chargingservice to other registered members and are debited when they consumeelectricity at a registered charging unit 806.

The registered vehicle database 1014 maintains information concerningregistered users with the system 802. Each registered user would haveinformation concerning their vehicle type enabling assistance inselection of charging units 806 appropriate for that vehicle type.Additionally, the database 1014 would include information tying thevehicle to particular charging information and other user or vehiclerelevant information. The vehicle status controller 1016 monitorsoperation of the charging operation by a charging unit 806 to whichelectric vehicle is connected. The vehicle status controller 1016 canmonitor the links of a charge and monitor for conditions indicating thatceasing of the battery charge is necessary due to completion of chargingor problem issues requiring ceasing of battery charge.

FIG. 11 illustrates a functional block diagram of the charging unit 806.Charging units 806 are available in three classes of performance, levelI and II are for residential and commercial installations where singlephase AC power is available. Level III electric charging units arerequired for quick charging of electric vehicles in minutes. Level IIIcharging units utilize three-phase AC power which is usually onlyavailable at a business or commercial premises. A typical level I orlevel II charger will fully charge an electric vehicle in several hours.The charging unit 806 will include a charge connector 1102 forconnecting one or more different types of electric vehicle to chargingcircuitry 1104. The charging circuitry 1104 generates the chargingvoltage provided to the vehicle. The charge connector 1102 can be asingle or multiple vehicle connection depending upon the capabilities ofthe charging unit 806. The charge connector 1102 may comprise, but isnot limited to, NEMA 15, Tesla, NEMA 50, J1772, SAE Combo, CHADeMO, NEMA20, etc. connectors.

Charging circuitry 1104 utilizes power from either the local power gridor a local battery source to generate a charging current that is outputvia the charge connector 1102 to the electric vehicle being charged. Thecharging circuitry 1104 can receive the charging power from either theelectrical power grid via an electric grid connection 1106 or a localbattery 1108. The electric grid connection 1106 would comprise astandard power interface to the local power grid. A battery 1108 wouldlocally store electricity that was provided via some type of powergeneration interface 1110 or from the electric grid connection 1106. Thepower generation interface 1110 could be connected to a solar, wind orother type of power generation system. Alternatively, the system couldswitch between the alternative power generation interface 1110 and theelectric grid connection 1106 based upon low tariff periods from theelectricity grid. Thus, the charging unit 806 would connect to theelectric grid during low tariff times and utilize the alternative powergeneration interface 1110 during higher tariff times.

A network interface 1112 provides for a wireless or wired connection tothe charging control server 804 to enable communications and operationsoccurring between the databases and controllers therein and the controlfunctionalities within the charging unit 806. The network interface 1112utilizes powerline communications technologies and wireless technologiessuch as Wi-Fi, 3G/4G data services, GPSS and other mapping technologies.A payment unit 1114 comprises an interface for manually entering userinformation or a credit card reader enabling the taking of point of salepayment information from a driver that desires to charge their electricvehicle. Payment may be taken via cash, check or credit card using theappropriate payment collection protocols, or even membership debits andcredits. The payment unit 1114 may also be used for driver validation byenabling the authorized driver to manually enter a validation code thatis sent to the driver by the system. Such validation may also beeffected via the mobile device application 808.

Each of the system components are under control of an electricitycontrol and management unit 1116 that is responsible for controlling allinter-charging unit operations and operations between the charging unit806 and the charging control server 804. The electricity control andmanagement unit 1116 enables the dispensation of electricity, detectsthe amount of electricity consumed and transmits this informationthrough the network 810 using mechanisms such as powerlinecommunications, and Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G or other prevalent data networks tothe central controller 804 for storage within the various databases. Theelectricity control and management module 1116 includes current sensorson the AC lines delivering power to the charging vehicle to measure thelevel of charge being delivered and provide electronic clocks that maybe used to measure the duration of electricity dispensation. Informationcollected, used and transmitted during and after the matching processincludes data on the electric vehicle connector type, the charging unitscharacteristics, local utility electricity rates, electric vehicleidentification protocols, dispensation duration, as well ascharacteristics of the charger behavior which may affect maintenance ofthe charger, etc. Alternatively, a fixed amount of charge can beimplemented in discrete blocks of time, for example 30 minuteincrements, to control the electricity dispensation using a simple timerswitch.

Biometric devices 1120 may also be used for validating a user connectingwith the charging unit 806 and enabling initiation of the chargingprocess. The biometric devices 1120 may comprise devices such asfingerprint scanners, voice recognition devices, retinal scanners, etc.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-14, there are illustrated components of thesystem for three different modes of coupling between the electricvehicle with a converter depending on the electric vehicle's onboardelectricity storage system. As shown in FIG. 12, if the electric vehiclehas a built-in converter 1202 to convert the incoming AC power from theutility power 1204 into DC power, the charging station 1206 only needsto output AC power with the appropriate connector plug 1208 voltage tocharge the battery 1210. If the electric vehicle requires DC power forcharging, the electric power provided from the charging station 1306responsive to the utility power 1304 comes from a DC power outputmechanism at the appropriate voltage from the connector plug 1308. Theplug connection 1308 provides the DC charging voltage directly to thebattery 1310.

In addition to the directly coupled electric vehicle chargingconfigurations of FIGS. 12 and 7, an inductive or capacitive chargingsystem may be used wherein the utility power 1404 provided to thecharging station 1406 is inductively or capacitively coupled to avehicle through an inductive or capacitive source 1408 and vehiclereceptor 1410. An AC to DC conversion unit 1412 within the vehicleconverts the AC power into a DC component for charging the battery 1414.Note that all three charging situations of FIGS. 12-14 utilize acharging station including an electricity control and management system1116 that provides the necessary electrical power conversion andregulation as necessary, turns on/off the charging power, measures theamount of electricity dispensed and performs other control functionssuch as monitoring the charge data for the vehicle via data gatheredfrom the vehicle during charging. Such data may be gathered wirelesslyor via a connecting cable that connects the electric vehicle to thecharging unit.

FIG. 15 illustrates the main components of the charging system whereinthe various components are wirelessly communicating with the chargingcontrol server 802. The charging control server 802 is the brains of thesystem and maintains a database of components including the profiles ofthe drivers and the charging units along with the locations of thecharging units. The charging control server 802 monitors eachtransaction from start to finish, records the time of charging, performspayment processing and continuously collects information from thenetwork components. The charging control server 802 wirelessly connectsto different brands of electric vehicles 1504, 1506 through the mobileapplication and with the payment processor 1508 to carry out payment forcharging services. Further, wireless connections may be between theowners and operators of various electric charging stations 1510 at fixedlocations or mobile electric charging stations 1512 that may actuallycome to stranded vehicles to provide charging or to dynamically scheduleand coordinate rendezvous between travelling electric vehicles andmobile charging stations. The mobile chargers 1512 utilize onboardstorage devices or generators enabling the mobile system to providecharging services wherever it is needed such as an electric vehiclerally, county fair, golf course or tournament where electric carts needcharging, etc., or wherever electricity might be needed. By couplingonboard energy collection sources such as solar panels or wind turbines,a mobile charger 1512 could operate indefinitely away from a power grid.These mobile chargers 1512 provide a roving charging station on a movingplatform such as a truck equipped with fossil fuel motorized electricgenerators or a bank of batteries that are either charged from thenormal grid outlet such as 110 V AC wall circuit and/or are continuouslycharged on the road via onboard solar panels or energy collectionmechanism such as wind turbines or the vehicles 12 V DC output.

The electric vehicle network management and charging system 802 providesthe ability to match brand specific electric vehicles with brandcompatible charging units and schedule an electric vehicle chargingsession. The system 802 also provides the means of matching and enablingnon-electric vehicle owners who buy third party charging units to becomeindependent operators operating on their own schedule to providecharging services. The system 802 will deliver the same transactionexperience to those using brand specific electric vehicles and chargingunits by scheduling the transaction, measuring/metering and dispensingthe electricity consumed, collecting and disbursing payment forconsumption, recording the incident and tracking the process. The system802 will provide for electronic recordkeeping and payment processing.Payment mechanisms are universally available from third partiesincluding the use of on-site magnetic card readers, smart chip cardreaders and even online Internet data entry through third-party portalsfor payment processing. Prepayment options are also available bypre-registering the electric vehicles payment options which then merelyrequire the completion of agreed-upon payment protocols.

In another embodiment, the system may utilize modules of removablebatteries wherein electric vehicle may simply exchange charge depletedbatteries for a set of fully charged batteries, and thus eliminate thewaiting time associated with charging the electric vehicle's onboardbatteries. When such electric vehicles are available as well as thebattery modules, the system will utilize a battery exchange system toexchange batteries using the mobile applications and central controllerdescribed hereinabove with such modular batteries that are matched withtheir modular electric vehicle that may accept the batteries.

Referring now to FIG. 16, there is illustrated an alternative embodimentof a system 1610 for managing a network of charging stations forpersonal electric devices such as personal mobility devices, personalmedical devices, and personal media devices such as mobile phones,electronic tables and laptop computers. The system 1610 includes acentral device charger controller 1612 that controls all chargingoperations between a plurality of charging units 1614 through a network1616, such as the Internet. Individual users may establish appointmentswith the various charging units 1614 using a mobile application 1616stored on their personal mobile devices. The mobile application 706communicates with the central device charger controller 1612 andcharging units 1614 through the network 1616. The system 1610 enablesand facilitates the charging of electric devices at locations whichprovide charging facilities that can be reserved for use atpredetermined times or opportunistically as availability permits. Thecharging units 1614 are provided at locations in or around where a userintends to engage in some activity such as those offered at recreationalor food and beverage sites among other establishments, or in generalwhere the user intends or expects to be spending an extended length oftime to provide an effective charging cycle. However, the system 1610 isnot restricted to such locations as such charging units 1614 may berented out by the owner or operator for use at the user's option andpleasure. More simplified versions of charging units 1614 may simply bea battery for use in the user's device, or even for a battery exchangesystem as described herein above.

The network of charging stations 1614 are located within or near theproperty of a service provider such as a restaurant, cinema, concerthall, etc., or are transportable and can be reserved by a personalmobility device user prior to the user's visit at a particular vendorlocation. The user makes reservations for use of a charging unit 1614via the mobile application 1616 which enables the user to connect to thecentral device charger controller 1612. The charging unit 1614 containselectronics and switches that control the dispensation of an electriccharging current to the subscribing user's personal electric/electronicdevice under control of a central control module having functions thatare incorporated within the device charge controller unit 1612. Eachcharging unit 1614 may contain several connectors that can be controlledfrom a single centralized controller. Each connector may have differentconnector configurations for connecting with different devices havingdifferent charging protocols.

The mobile application 1616 provides position information using variousapplications such as GPSS applications, cell tower triangulationtechniques or using location sensitive beaconing technologies such asApple Computer's Bluetooth app iBeacon. Typically, the application 1616is downloaded to a mobile communications device such as a smart phone orelectronic tablet. The application 1616 and central device chargercontroller 1612 enable the system to employ Internet of Things (TOT)protocols and methods to enable and provide for a range of services tothe user who subscribes for such services via online registrationthrough the application.

The system 1610 uses the network 1618 to provide shared computer andcommunication resources and to maintain databases within the devicecharger controller 1612, as will be described more fully herein below,for all subscribing vendors and system subscribers. Before registering avendor, the vendor's venue must be audited as to the feasibility ofproviding charging unit services. The vendor must have Internetconnectivity to become part of the system and may opt for other wirelesscommunications methods such as Wi-Fi, and/or Apple computers app iBeaconthat facilitates sending digital beacon messages from the vendor to theuser. The vendor must also set aside or install specific electricaloutlets and space to accommodate the secure and convenient charging ofone or more personal electric/electronic devices at their premises orvenue. The vendor would initiate the registration process using a mobileapplication 1616 in a similar manner that a new user would register withthe system.

The installation of a beacon-like application on the user's smart deviceenables the system to provide the user with enhanced services. Theelectricity provided through the designated outlets is accessed,controlled and regulated via a device and/or software either within thevendor's premises equipment or in an external apparatus that connectswith the system. The vendor, such as a restaurant operator that catersto electric wheelchair users, would designate specific wheelchairaccessible tables which either incorporate one or more charging ports orin some cases the vendor might deploy their charging units at convenientpersonal mobility device parking areas provided the vendor also has ameans for enabling the visiting user to be transported to the activityvenue. All such information is part of the specific event venue profileand may be displayed on the user's mobile application 1616.

In the case of a personal mobility or medical device the charging unit1614 employs Internet of things (TOT) technology to communicate with thecentral device charger management controller 1612. The charging unit1614 also communicates with the personal mobility device in such caseswherein the personal mobility or medical device has built-incommunications capability such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In such cases,there may be a need to cooperate with the specific personal mobility ormedical device manufacturer in order to obtain the personal devices' API(application program interface). Access to such APIs may be required toenable the system's sophisticated features such as trip planning so thatthe system can determine and correlate the real time charge state of thepersonal devices' battery and trip characteristics such as the averagespeed of travel among other measurement parameters for a personalmobility device or the rate of battery drain and medication consumptionas in the case of a personal portable medical device user.

The system 1610 incorporates other positioning technologies for suchpurposes including beaconing technologies and wheel mounted odometers toenable the determination of distances traveled by the personal mobilitydevice based on revolutions of the wheel. Other means of providing suchinformation may utilize third-party apps such as Google maps whereby thesystem can derive the personal mobility devices position and travelprogress via the user's smart phone GPSS system. IOT capability may bedeployed in several elements of the vendor's equipment portfolio. Othermethods and apparatuses may be used to garner the necessary personalmobility device travel and battery state data to determine the distancetraveled and other apparatuses' real-time battery state and chargelogging. Additionally, the central management controller would measurethe quantity of electricity consumed by the personal mobility deviceduring the charging session.

Referring now to FIG. 17, there is illustrated a functional blockdiagram of the central device charger controller 1612. The controller1612 includes databases of vendor profiles 1702 and member profiles1704. The vendor profiles 1702 store information concerning chargingunits 1614, and the individuals controlling operation of the chargingunits. The member profiles 1704 include information about users who haveregistered their personal mobility devices, personal medical devices orother electric devices for charging through the device chargercontroller 1612 and charging units 1614.

The local statistics database 1708 stores information relating to theneighborhood surrounding charging units 1614. This information maycomprise information such as the availability of handicap parking nearthe particular vendor providing the charging unit or locations ofpersonal mobility device accessible washrooms and other amenities suchas restaurants and shops located nearby. Locations of nearby medicalfacilities that can provide treatment and services specific to the needsof a specific personal mobility device or personal medical device userswill also be displayable through the mobile application 1616 in theevent that the user is in need of medical intervention. Because of theuser's dependence on the personal mobility device, the system could alsoprovide the locations of nearby personal mobility device shops for partsand service and their hours of operation.

Registration controller 1706 is responsible for enabling new users toregister with the central device charger controller 1612 after they havedownloaded the mobile application 1616 to their personal mobile device.Trip planning controller 1710 enables a user to interact with thecentral device charger controller 1612 through their mobile application1616 to plan a trip between locations and locate charging units 1614located in close proximity to the trip route. Once various chargingunits 1614 are located that correspond to the trip plan, the reservationcontroller 1712 enables the user to make a reservation for a particularcharging unit 1614 at a particular time through the mobile application1616. An AIS 1713 may be utilized to provide more sophisticated tripplanning that incorporates biometric measurement and monitoring tofacilitate intervention for medical or other reasons. Marketingcontroller 1714 generates programs for marketing particular services tousers by pushing information from the charger controller 1612 to themobile applications 1616.

FIG. 18 illustrates a functional block diagram of the mobile application1616 stored upon a personal mobile device. The application 1616 includestrip planning functionalities 1802 enabling a user to plan and locatecharging units 1614 in conjunction with the device charger controllertrip planning functionalities 1710. The trip planning functionality 1802enables a user to search for charging unit enabledestablishments/locations to make bookings and reservations for use of aspecific charging unit 1614. The trip planning functionality 1802utilizes charging units 1614 availability around the specified area andmay be carried out manually by user selections orautomatically/semi-automatically with assistance from the trip planningcontroller 1710 within the device charger controller 1612 and inconjunction with AIS 1713. Utilizing user inputs of estimated times tobe spent at each portion of a trip, the trip planning functionality 1802in conjunction with the trip planning controller 1710 of the devicecharger controller 1612 provides advice on a sequence of charging stopsand the optimum time and duration to be connected to a charging unit1614. Upon user confirmation of a trip plan, the system will make thenecessary reservations utilizing communications between the reservationinterface 1806 of the application 1616 and the reservation controller1712 of the device charger controller 1612 at the appropriate chargingunit 1614. AIS 1713 may be employed to make trip adjustments dynamicallyin reaction to trip actualities.

The location controller 1804 enables the mobile application 1616 todetermine a current position of the mobile device housing the mobileapplication. The location controller 1804 makes use of globalpositioning or other positioning functionalities to determine aterrestrial location of the personal mobility device, personal medicaldevice or other electric device for charging. This is useful in locatingcharging units 1614 that are in a current proximity to the user. Thereservation interface 1806 enables the mobile application 1616 togenerate a reservation for a particular charging unit at a particulartime. The reservation interface 1806 interacts with the reservationcontroller 1712 of the device charger controller 1612 in order to locateavailable charging units 1614. AIS 1713 may be engaged to direct 1806 tomake the necessary reservation changes.

Battery management controller 1808 makes calculations and determinationswith respect to a user current battery charge for a personal mobilitydevice or personal charger device. The battery management controller1808 determines when a last charge of the device occurred and based uponknown discharge characteristics generates alerts and providesnotifications to users when recharging of their personal mobility deviceor personal medical device is necessary in order to avoid the devicesbecoming completely discharge and stranding the user or placing them ina medical emergency situation. The battery management controller 1808controls battery management and provides proper charging sequences,conditioning and protection. The battery management controller 1808assesses battery to charger compatibility, provides charging managementand provides real-time feedback and reporting on the charging processand level of the charging device's battery charge so as to alert theuser when the battery reaches specified user established thresholdtriggers or if the battery is impaired. This management and control bythe battery management controller 1808 also ensures that the chargingprocess is consistent with the various battery chemistry andtechnologies used in the respective batteries. Such control may also bemoderated on demand to affect the charging rate for the battery such asto enable vendor discretion for pricing their services on the basis offast or normal charging rates. The battery management controller 1808may also provide automatic cutoff of the charging process when anomaliesare encountered to prevent hazardous events.

The account controller 1810 stores user account information enabling auser to login to the device charger controller 1612 in order to obtaincharging services. The account controller 1810 provides real-timeaccount access by vendors and users as to their individual accounts toobtain charger usage and financial information and management. Forexample, the current status for a charging unit reservation andutilization may be obtained by the vendor. Users may obtain reservationstatus and carry out actions such as charging to a credit card and/ordebiting a bank account with a predetermined booking fee in order tocredit the amount to the system and reserve a predetermined portion ofthe transaction fee for the serving vendor. Payment controller 1812stores payment information for the user enabling them to utilize themobile application 1616 to automatically pay for and obtain chargingservices using for example credit card information, PayPal information,automatic bank draft information or other payment protocols such asApple Pay, etc.

The group control functionality 1814 provides for social mediainteractions and group socializing of system users. Group socializingsuch as the coordination of user activated group activities and/orassembly when the invited individuals are allocated to specific chargingunits 1614 for charging. Things such as group gifting capabilities maybe facilitated to enable users to coordinate a group gifting campaignfor a user, or anyone else that has an email address and/or mobile phonenumber. The group control functionality 1814 also provide the ability tooffer other group apps by third parties such as SPOND or Evite to enablegroup gatherings to be offered through the system 1610. Group controls1814 could also provide neighborhood watch capabilities whereupon a usercan automate the setting of alarm that is broadcast to one or moreindividuals whenever a trip plan is violated as to time of expectedarrival and expected trip stop location as might occur when an elderlypersonal mobility device user gets forgetful and strays from theirplanned activities. Biometric measurement devices 1815 may also be usedto provide indications for the need of medical or health relatedinterventions. In such situations, the system could be programmed tosend out a distress signal to either the police, and/or other presetemergency contacts. Distress signaling could be provided to alert carepractitioners and/or emergency responders when a user's biometriccondition triggers preset thresholds. The biometric devices 1815 mayalso be used for validating a user and enabling initiation of thecharging process. The biometric devices 1815 may comprise devices suchas fingerprint scanners, voice recognition devices, retinal scanners,etc. The group controls 1814 also provide aggregation or grouping ofvarious personal mobility device accessible establishments and provideadvertising services to such establishments to coincide with trip plansthat a user may establish using the trip planning functionalities 1802.

FIG. 19 provides a functional block diagram of the charging unit 1614. Aconnector 1902 enables the charging unit 1614 to connect with a devicethat is being charged. The connector 1902 provides charging current fromthe charging circuitry 1903. The charging circuitry 1903 generates thecharging current from a provided energy source. The connector 1902 canbe of one or a plurality of types to enable the charging unit 1614 toconnect to a variety of different personal mobility devices, personalmedical devices or other types of electrical devices needing charging. Aconnector 1902 may provide direct, inductive, capacitive coupling orother state-of-the-art over the air technologies for charging the devicebeing charged. The connector 1902 may comprise several connections undercontrol of the central control module 1910. Each of the plurality ofconnectors may employ different connector configurations for connectingpersonal mobility devices as different personal mobility devices mayemploy different connecting plugs and also contain different types ofbatteries (such as sealed lead acid (SLA) or lithium ion batterychemistry), different battery capabilities and different batterycharging voltages and charging protocols.

The central control module 1910 provides a range of battery chargingmanagement and control protocols and functionalities for regulating thecharging process as well as to monitor the personal mobility devicesbattery charge state to prevent overcharging which can lead to fire andexplosions. Power grid connection 1904 connects the charging unit 1614to the electrical power grid. The power grid connection 1904 provides aconnection to the power grid that enables the charging unit to charge aconnected electrical device using a generated charging current.

In addition to receiving electrical charging energy from the power grid,energy generator interface 1908 enables connection to an alternativeenergy generation source such as solar cells, a wind turbine, a gaspowered generator, etc. Energy storage batteries 1906 may be used forstoring energy for charging a connected electrical device withoutrequiring an active electrical power connection. The off grid powerprovided by batteries and/or other energy storage devices can beregularly charged by solar panels or other renewable energy powergenerators such as wind turbines or even fossil fuel power generators.Offered power may in fact also be provided by user devices whereby onepersonal mobility device may be used to transfer power to anotherpersonal mobility device whether singly or in a ganged or combinedfashion. The concept is not restricted to personal mobility devices butmay also be applied to all portable or transportable user devices forinter-device charging. The batteries may be charged from a connectedalternative energy source through the energy generator interface 1908 orthrough the power grid connection 1904.

A central management controller 1910 includes all of the central controlfunctionalities for controlling the operation of the charging unit 1614responsive to control information from the central device chargercontroller 1612 and mobile applications 1616. Communications with thecentral device charger controller 1612 and mobile applications 1616 arecarried out through a network interface 1912 enabling communicationsover the network 1618. Further communications to the network 1618 orlocal devices may also be carried out through a local wireless interface1914 using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other wireless communications protocolsor through the powerline itself. The reservation controller 1916 enablesinformation to be exchanged regarding the establishment of a reservationby a user, validation of the user upon arrival at the charger 1614 forcharging, and notification of the reserved status of charging unit 1614at a particular point in time at which a reservation has been granted.The battery charging controller 1918 controls the battery chargingprocess when an electrical device is actually connected with thecharging unit 1614.

Upon validation by reservation controller 1916 of the valid connecteddevice and user member that made the reservation the electricityprovision controller 1920 works in conjunction with the chargingcircuitry 1903 to regulate the flow of electricity to the device'sbattery. The electricity provision controller 1920 has the ability toregulate the flow of electricity in such a manner as to manage thecharging of the users device battery that are connected to the chargingunit 1614 so as to optimize the charging process or simply to regulatethe speed of charging based on pricing and payment protocols. Thisprocess is facilitated by the incorporated data communicationscapability of the local wireless interface 1914 using Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G,Bluetooth etc. Payment controller 1922 provides point-of-salefunctionalities enabling a user to pay for charging services received bytheir electric device. The payment controller 1922 may be in the form ofa magnetic strip or smart chip reader that reads information from acredit card or a data entry terminal that receives information from auser's mobile application or enable manual entry relating to paymentinformation that is used to charge a user's account. The accountcontroller 1924 provides access to user account information based uponinformation received from the mobile application 1612 that has requesteda charging time or is providing payment information.

In the case of the charging of large capacity battery powered personalmobility devices such as electric wheelchairs and scooters for themobility impaired, such personal mobility devices typically take a longperiod of time to charge but are quick to discharge in use due to theunpredictable energy consumption modes. In such cases where the chargingtime required is long and there is a physical or medical dependence onthe device by the user, the utility of being able to reserve a chargingport becomes more of a necessity rather than a convenience. Consider thecase of an electric wheelchair user, or the user of a portable oxygenconcentrator (POC), a respiratory device for chronic obstructivepulmonary disease sufferers which requires the need of a charge whilethe user is out of their home. The user dependence on his wheelchair orPOC precludes leaving the device to be charged while the user engages inan activity; unless the user has a spare device to use while their otherdevice is charging or the user is participating in an activity at thecharging station itself such as a eating dinner at a restaurant orwatching a show at a theater.

Using the mobile application 1616 and device charger controller 1612,the user is able to reserve a charging port in advance for apredetermined time where the user knows they will be present at or neara specific charging facility. The user may also charge their device atthe establishment when they are engaged in an activity at a location,such as dining at a restaurant, for a particular period of time. One ofthe features of the system is the assisting of the user in determiningthe optimum time for recharging which coincides with a period ofimmobility such as eating dinner in the restaurant that includes acharging unit and/or has the ability to facilitate charging services.The described system has tremendously broad utility and applicability toany and all rechargeable devices. While the disclosure is made withrespect to rechargeable electric motor powered personal mobility devicesfor mobility impaired individuals or personal medical devices, theconcept described herein is applicable to other types of electricallyrechargeable devices that store energy and require recharging or energyrefurbishment. The concept described herein is also applicable to othermodalities of energy storage and dispensation such as hydrogen gas orother compressed fluids.

Referring now to FIG. 20, there is illustrated a flow diagram of theprocess for generating a reservation transaction. The system concept maybe applied to a wide variety of rechargeable devices, and theutilization of the features of the system are very diverse. In theexample of a personal mobility device user, one such feature of thesystem which is accessible via the mobile application 1616 is to plan atrip that encompasses various trip stops for charging the personalmobility device during the course of the journey and to coincide thosecharging periods with a specific stationary activity such as dining,drinking, reading or viewing a movie. During these times a personalmobility device is connected to a charging port and is being chargedduring the user's activity. A user launches at step 2002 the mobileapplications 1616 on a smart phone or other communications devices suchas electronic tablets and reviews several action options available forexecution such as plan trip 2004, browse charging units 2006 or bookcharging units 2008. The user selects, in one example, browse chargingunits at step 2006 and asks for destination and area coverage at step2010 to gather various trip parameters enabling them to make a chargerselection. The coverage area may be viewed in miles, yards or evenmetric dimensions. The user application 1616 displays at step 2012 thevarious locations that include charging units. The user browses theavailable destination points that they intend to visit during their tripto make sure that charging units 1614 are available during their trip.

Once satisfied with the availability of charging units 1614 at thespecified trip stops, particular charging units 1614 are selected atstep 2014 for the trip. The application 1616 asks for the expectedduration spent at each charging unit at step 2016 and upon userconfirmation, a trip plan is generated at step 2018 that lists therecommended sequence of trip stops and the times allocated at each stop.The user can also generate trip plan change request/recommendations atstep 2020 to charging units 1614 that have not been made a part of thegenerated trip plan. Based upon considerations of the stop length timesand expected lapse times and battery drain, the system will specify thetrip plan at 2018 and provide recommended times for a chargingappointment. The user can confirm the recommendation at step 2022, oralternatively, generate plan change recommendations at step 2020. If auser's changes are inconsistent with the user's personal mobility devicecharacteristics and planned usage of the trip, the system will promptthe user for alternative selections and/or propose alternative chargingunit bookings. Upon acceptance of the recommendations at step 2020, thereservations may be generated at step 2024.

Upon confirmation of a trip plan, the system will make the necessarycharging unit 1614 reservations at step 2024 and interface with theappropriate charging units to perform the necessary booking protocolssuch that the charging unit 1614 is reserved for a particular user. Atall times the power output of charging unit 1614 is turned off and notavailable to unauthorized users and/or devices until appropriatelyvalidated. Alternatively, using the trip planning functionalities 1802of the application 1616, the user can simply plan a trip by selectingplanned trip on the opening screen of his smart phone and the system inconjunction with AIS 1713 will check the availability of charging units1614 at various destination points and generate a trip plan with tripstop sequences automatically.

Referring now to FIG. 21, there is illustrated the process of usingvarious reservations for device recharging during an actual trip. Theuser begins their journey and the mobile application 1616 will monitorthe trip progress at step 2102. Based upon the trip progress monitoring,a number of different alerts or suggestions as shown generally at step2104 may be generated to the user through their mobile application 1616.The user may be prompted along the way with reservation time alerts 2106as scheduled charging unit 1614 reservation times approach.Alternatively, if the monitoring determines that the user has deviatedfrom their trip plan schedule and appears to endanger their batteryconsumption plan, the system will generate a deviation alert at 2108 andprompt for a corrective action or propose a change in the trip sequenceat step 2110 so as to enable an alternative charging units 1614 booking.However, such changes may result in booking cancellation penalties whichare charged directly to the users credit card or bank account on filewithin the system. The user may also engage the AIS to entirely managethe charging sequences based on tracking the user's journey.

When a user stops at an appointed time at an appointed charging unitlocation, the user will present their reservation information at step2112 to the charging unit and is directed to a charging unit 1614 wherethe user can connect their personal mobility device, personal medicaldevice or other rechargeable electric/electronic devices. Alternativelythe charging unit 1614 may also provide indication of its location byoptical means such as flashing colored lights which also indicates thecharger's state of operation. The charging unit 1614 may also broadcastits location using beacon technologies that the mobile application 1616may home in to or lock onto to provide direction guidance. Assuming thatthe vendor is a restaurant, the charging unit 1614 will likely comprisea reserved table. The personal mobility devices or electric wheelchaircan simply wheel up to the table and charge while they are dining.Alternatively, if the personal mobility devices and electric scootercannot be used at a dining table, the vendor will likely have adesignated parking area that is charging unit 1614 equipped, and theuser is provided with a temporary wheelchair which can be used at thetable. All such information concerning the vendor charging environmentis available to the user through their mobile application 1616.

The user connects their device to the charging unit at step 2114. Assoon as the device is plugged into the charging unit 1614, anauthentication sequence will be initiated at step 2116. The progress ofthe authentication sequence is displayed on the users mobile application1616 and may comprise verifying the personal mobility deviceidentification (e.g. registered serial number), verifying the make modeland power specification of the personal mobility device (which requiresa user's affirmative action to ensure that the personal mobility devicehas not been modified from its original manufacturing state), the user'scredit card, bank account or other payment source is validated, and thetime of the connection is recorded. Alternatively, if the user hadpurchased usage credits in advance then such credits may be utilized aspayment. The user authorizes commencement of the charging at step 2118and this confirmation is received by the charging unit 1614 at step2120. The system provides for different categories of users and does notrequire that the user have a smart phone and mobile application 1612.Each vendor having a charging unit is equipped or enabled to act as aproxy for authorization whereupon the visiting user may perform theauthorization via the vendor's point-of-sale device. Such an option is anecessity in the case of a disabled user that cannot operate a smartphone, or tablet or does not have either one. Alternatively the systemmay use biometric validation methodologies.

The charging process is initiated and payment made at step 2122. Oncethe scheduled charging unit session is nearing termination, the user andvendor are alerted at step 2124. The user may be given an opportunity toextend the charging session at step 2126 provided that no other bookingsfor the charging unit 1614 have been scheduled. In the event that thespecific charging unit 1614 has been pre-scheduled by another user, thesystem may offer the current user a different charging unit that isavailable on premise. The system or vendor also has the ability tore-assign a different charging unit 1614 to the next scheduled userwhereby the current user of a charging unit may extend his charging timeor use of the vendor's facilities for perhaps an additional fee. Oncethe session is terminated, the system will complete the paymentprotocols at step 2128, and the user's preselected form of payment ischarged and credited to the serving vendor's account. The systemprovides a variety of financial payment operations as commonly practicedin e-commerce such as scheduled billing and payment, recordkeeping andperiodic statement reporting, etc. It is up to the system operator andvendor to determine the frequency and method of payment from the systemoperator to the vendor.

Referring now to FIG. 22, there is illustrated a further configurationof the charging units, wherein a plurality of charging units 2202 areincluded within a group of one or more lockers 2204. Each locker 2204includes at least one charging unit 2202 such as that discussed hereinabove and a plug 2206 for connecting any type of electric device thatneeds charging. Users can access the locker by several means, by using adigital or biometric key or by paying an indicated fee. In the case of adigital key the user enters a code received through a mobile applicationor by paying an indicated fee through the application. Alternatively,the user may gain access by biometric verification of his identitycompared with a pre-stored biometric file in the system. Upon validationof the user's identity the user is then able to have access to thecharging unit 2202 and plug 2206. The user can then connect their devicefor charging and lock the device in the locker while it is charging tomaintain the device in a secure location while the user perform otheractivities. The communications interface 2208 associated with thecharging unit 2202 can contact the user through the user's mobileapplication to broadcast a charging state (charging, quarter charge,half charge, three-quarter charge, complete charge, etc.) of theelectric device being charged. The lockers 2204 could additionally beused in a kiosk or other convenient grouping of the charging units.

The preceding discussion depicts one example of a charging managementand reservation system wherein a personal mobility device, personalmedical device or other electric device is charged with a devicespecific cable that presumably delivers the appropriate DC voltage andamperage to the device while the charging unit 2202 performs the chargemonitoring and management. Different devices may have different batterycharging protocols, different connectors and characteristics and mayeither have an onboard charger which can be directly connected to the120 V AC outlet or require an offboard (not part of the device) chargerthat provides the appropriate DC charge voltage and amperage andconnectors. All these characteristics of specific devices are matched tothe specific vendor's equipment repertoire.

The architecture of the management and reservation system 1610 isdesigned to be an “open” system which enables the incorporation ofthird-party apps and system components such as third-party cloudplatforms, group meeting and group gifting apps. Additionally, thesystem functionality is an open system that can provide the samereservation and charging functionality for other rechargeable devicessuch as Ebikes, two wheeled balance scooters or Segway devices, smartphones and tablets and portable respiratory devices dependent on theparticular vendor. A vendor could simply be an individual that owns acharger for a specific rechargeable device that may be obsolete or hardto come by and in such situations the individual vendor may find anopportunity to rent out their charger rather than recovering a one-timesale. The user could also be traveling and have forgotten to carry theircharging equipment for their device in which case the ability to rentsuch a charger via the system would be a lifesaver.

The system also incorporates the capability to register vendors on thespot via the mobile application 1616 as in the case when a user finds awilling establishment that is not yet part of the system but which iswilling to allow the user to utilize the establishment's 120 V AC oralternative power outlet. In providing this vendor registrationcapability via the mobile application 1616, the system is able topropagate utility organically via its membership database.

Referring now to FIG. 23, there is illustrated a further embodimentwherein an electric vehicle charging system intelligent adapter 2302 maybe used for converting a dumb electric vehicle charging system 2304 thatprovides no network interconnectivity into an intelligent chargingsystem with remote communications connectivity and control. The electricvehicle charging system 2304 such as that described hereinabove includesan electric vehicle charging system connector 2306 that is used forinterconnecting with an electric vehicle 2308. In its normalconfiguration, the electric vehicle charging system connector 2306connects directly with the electric vehicle charging connector 2310 toinitiate charging of the vehicle 2308. As electrical vehicles becomemore popular, the access to public charging station remains the numberone barrier to widespread adoption of electric vehicle technologies. Thehigh cost of installing and equipping electric vehicle charging stations(EV stations) with one or more EV chargers hinders the construction anddeployment of EV charging stations. In addition, most EV chargingstations are unmanned and thus the availability of the stations' EVcharging chargers is unknown until electric vehicle drivers arrive at aparticular location to use the chargers. Thus when they arrive, thedriver may find the equipment is already in use or currentlyinoperative.

This limitation may be overcome as shown in FIG. 23 by use of anelectric vehicle charging system intelligent adapter 2302. The adapter2302 provides for remote communications connectivity and control toprovide better control and information with respect to the EV chargingsystem 2304. The EV charging system intelligent adapter 2302 convertsthe standalone EV charger 2304 at any unmanned EV station into anintelligent charger whereby the availability of such chargers may bemonitored and reserved remotely and controlled for dispensingelectricity using for example the systems described hereinabove. Asingle EV charging system intelligent adapter 2302 is required for eachcharger 2304 at the EV charging station. The adapter 2302 is designed tointerface directly with the EV charging system connector 2306 such thatthe adapter 2302 merely plugs into the connector 2306 of the chargingsystem 2304. The EV charging system intelligent adapter 2302 then plugsinto the electric vehicle charging connector 2310 in the same mannerthat the EV charging system connector 2306 would. The adapter 2302 thenprovides remote communications connectivity and control as will be morefully described herein below. This makes the conversion process simpleand inexpensive.

There are over 50,000 unmanned publicly accessible EV chargers withinthe US that are neither remotely controlled nor available for remotereservation. In addition there are hundreds of thousands more EVchargers that are installed in private homes by electric vehicle owners.By equipping such standalone EV chargers 2304 with an EV charging systemintelligent adapter 2302, electric vehicle drivers may convenientlysearch for adapter equipped chargers that are available and even reservethe chargers without being inconvenienced by traveling to an unmanned EVstation to only find out that the chargers are not available for use.

The EV charging system intelligent adapter 2302 encompasses varioustechnologies such as the Internet, cloud computing, wirelesscommunications, remote control techniques, in-line, near-field andtransponder communications, power transmission protocols, delivery andmeasurement, database techniques and technologies, smart electricitygrid techniques, alternate power conveyance grids, direct and wirelesspower conveyance/delivery/transference, location determinationtechnologies such as GPS, and Internet Of Things (“IOT”) protocols andmethods to enable and empower EV chargers with intelligence for remotecontrol and use.

The EV charging system intelligent adapter 2302 is an electrical andmechanical apparatus that is attachable to the charging connector 2306of an EV charger 2304 that complies with the InternationalElectrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards and other relevant standardsgoverning EV conductive charging systems with general characteristicsincluding charging modes and connection configurations, and requirementsfor specific implementations (including safety requirements) of bothelectrical vehicle 2308 and electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) ina charging system, such as the control of power supplied to theelectrical vehicle 2308 and the signaling between the electrical vehicle2308 and the EV charger 2304. Such standards may also cover devices suchas plugs, socket-outlets, vehicle couplers and vehicle inlets. In oneembodiment the EV charging system connector 2306 may comprise a SAEJ1772 Level 1/2 connector as used in North America. However, thefunctionality and principles of the system extend to all other standardconforming connectors such as the VDE-AR-E-2623-2-2 which is used inEurope, the JEVS G105-1993 (commonly known as CHAdeMO) which is used inJapan and any other configuration for a charging connector.

Further, the use of the adapter 2302 is not constrained to Level 1, 2 or3 chargers with their different voltages and current limits.Essentially, just as the J1772 connector is equipped with five pins ofwhich two are the AC wires, one is the ground, and two are signal pinsfor proximity detection and for the control pilot function; otherconnector types also have at least one pin that is used as a controlcommunications link and one or more pins as power pins for DC or ACpower.

Referring to FIG. 24, the EV charging system intelligent adapter 2302contains control electronics that manage the functions of the adapter.The adapters 2302 corresponding female inputs 2402 mate and lock withthe male connector pins 2404 in the J1772 connector 2406 coming from theEV charger 2304. The adapter 2302 provides a new J11772 type connector2408 to act as a connector with an electric vehicle connector 2310.Referring now also to FIG. 25 there is illustrated the process forconnection of an adapter 2302 to an EV charging system connector 2306.Upon mating and locking of the adapter 2302 with the charger's J1772connector 2406 at step 2502, the adapter's internal controls areactivated at step 2504 and initiate a registration cycle at step 2506whereby the adapter 2302 is wirelessly connected to a central server2312 under management of the charger service administrator. Theregistration process essentially tells the central server 2312 that theEV charger 2304 to which the adapter 2302 is connected is now registeredin the system and available for rent.

Referring to FIG. 26 there is illustrated a functional block diagram ofthe adapter 2302 for interconnecting a J1772 connector 2406 with anelectric vehicle 2308 via another J1772 connector 2602. The adaptercomponents are located within an adapter housing 2604. The J1772connector 2406 on the input side of the adapter 2302 is connected to afunctioning EV charger 2304, which in turn is connected to an electricalpower supply. The input interface 2608 provides a means for connectingthe adapter 2302 with the EV charger connector 2406 and includes femaleinputs for interconnecting with the male input pins of the chargerconnector 2406. Once the adapter 2302 mates with the EV charger 2304through its J1772 connector 2406 to the adapter's J1772 input interface2608, the remote control unit (RCU) 2610 detects the connection to thecharger and activates the adapter using power from an internalremovable, rechargeable battery 2612 within the power sensing controlunit (PSCU) 2614. The RCU 2610 then commences communications with thecentral server 2312 using a wireless interface 2614. The wirelessinterface 2614 provides for a connection to the central server 2312using a cellular data network, Wi-Fi network or any other type ofwireless communications protocol. The RCU 2610 controls operation of theadapter 2302, manages control of the adapter responsive to commands fromthe central server 2312 and controls charging signals passing throughthe adapter 2302.

The central server 2312 manages all the adapters 2302 in the field andalso the mobile apps within user's mobile devices for reserving anadapter-equipped charger (an “i-Charger”). The RCU 2610 contains acommunications module that set ups a communications link with a localWi-Fi router or other wireless communications network to access theInternet cloud 2616 and thereon to connect with the central server 2312using the wireless interface 2614. The connection with the cloud 2616may be provided by several means including inline powerlinecommunications or wireless router to a modem connected to an Internetprovider, or by satellite data connection, or through a cellular datalink. Thus, even a remote EV charger 2304 can be communicated with bythe central server 2312.

Referring now also to FIG. 27, there is illustrated a flow chart morefully describing the operation of the adapter 2302 when connected to acharger 2304. Once communications are established with central server2312, the RCU 2610 registers the presence and availability of theadapter 2302 in the registry of adapters maintained at the centralserver 2312 at step 2702. The RCU 2610 next switches the adapter 2302into standby mode at step 2704 to await the arrival of an electricalvehicle 2308 to connect with the J1772 output interface (JIO) 2618. Inthis idle state, the adapter 2302 draws its electricity from theinternal rechargeable battery 2612 in the PSCU 2614.

When an electric vehicle 2308 arrives at an i-Charger station (anadapter 2302 equipped charger station) for a reservation, a driver ofthe vehicle will launch a mobile app associated with the chargerreservation service such as that described above and obtain validationfor a charging session which may have been reserved in advance. Thedriver next connects the electric vehicle 2308 at step 2706 to theadapter 2302 via the JIO interface 2618, which triggers the RCU 2610 tosimulate appearing as a charger to the electric vehicle at step 2708 inorder to determine at step 2710 the electric vehicle profile such asmake of vehicle and the battery properties. The RCU 2610 thencommunicates with central server 2312 to validate the driver andelectric vehicle at step 2712. Upon receiving authorization for a validcharge at step 2714, the RCU 2610 instructs the EV simulator controlunit (ESCU) 2620 to connect the signal line 2622 between the charger2304 and the electric vehicle 2308 at step 2716. The EV simulatorcontrol unit 2620 controls the connection and communications between thecharger 2304 and the electric vehicle 2308. While the adapter 2302 is inthe idle state this signal line 2622 is open so that the charger 2304cannot communicate prematurely with the electric vehicle 2308 and enablethe adapter 2302 to complete its pre-charge session protocols with thecentral server 2312 such as to validate and record the charging session,etc. This signal line 2622 is the only switchable line within theadapter 2302 as it is the means of communicating with the EV charger2304 for controlling the activation or termination of power from the EVcharger 2304. However, as technologies and EV charging evolve there maybe more than one switchable communications line/link.

Once the session is authorized the ESCU 2620 acts as a transponder andenables communications between the EV charger 2304 and the electricvehicle 2308 via the signal line 2622. The EV charger 2304 performs itsnormal charging sequence and detects the type of electric vehicle 2308and battery to charge and performs a normal charging routine to chargethe authorized connected electric vehicle 2308. During electric vehicle2308 charging the PSCU 2614 will tap power from the charge lines 2624 byinductance, capacitance or other means to recharge the rechargeablebattery 2612 of the adapter 2302 which powers the adapter electronics.The PSCU 2614 does not switch the power lines to the EV itself due tothe high voltages and current that is typical and which would requirebulky relays. While this embodiment describes inductance charging anduse of a rechargeable battery 2612 to power the adapter electronics,other means of powering the adapter electronics may be used. The PSCU2614 manages and distributes the appropriate control power to all theelectronics elements in the adapter 2302. Also, while this illustrationcites the use of the signal line 2622 for communications between the EVcharger 2304 and the electric vehicle 2308, other charging devices andstandards may evolve and embody other means of communications betweenthe electric vehicle 2308 and the charger 2304 but the underlyingprinciple of the adapter 2302 acting as an intermediary controlmechanism still applies.

During the electric vehicle 2308 charging session the RCU 2610 monitorsthe connection at step 2718 via the signal line 2622 until its programor the central server 2312 determines that the reservation period hasexpired and that the charging is to terminate at step 2720. At thispoint the ESCU 2620 is instructed to break the signal line connectionbetween the electric vehicle 2308 and the EV charger 2304 and takecontrol of the charger's signal line instead. Herein, the ESCU 2620simulates as the electric vehicle 2308 and instructs the charger 2304 tocut off the charging power to the electric vehicle and the adapter 2302reverts to its idle position at step 2722 to await the next chargingtransaction. Besides controlling the connection or disconnection of thesignal line 2622 between the EV charger 2304 and the electric vehicle2308, the ESCU 2620 also performs the EV charging termination sequenceaccording to the charger it is connected to.

Thus, the adapter 2302 serves to turn an ordinary “dumb” standalone EVcharger 2304 into an intelligent charger that can broadcast itsavailability status and also control the charging session of an electricvehicle 2308. The illustration provided above for a J1772 provisioned EVcharger 2304 is an illustration of the control functions of the adapter2302 and its application. The sequence of operation of the functionalelements of the adapter 2302 may vary depending on the production designof the adapter 2302 and its application, the various standards in force,and the types of chargers used, but the underlying principal functionsof the adapter 2302 as an intermediary control mechanism still apply.The adapter 2302 may be produced to be compatible with differentphysical packaging. Additionally, the electric vehicle 2308 may comprisean automobile or other type of electric personal mobility device. Thesystem would also be useful in reserving charging stations for chargingany other type of electrical device.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure that these mobile electric vehicle charging stationsprovide a tremendous utility to the EV driver while reducing the needfor, and cost of installing fixed EV charging stations that can neverkeep up with the growth of EV adoption. Mobile EV charging stations alsoremove or greatly reduce range anxiety or the fear of running out ofbattery charge far away from fixed EV charging stations. By enabling EVcharging stations to be mobile, drivers need not delineate from takingdirect routes to their intended destinations merely to be close to fixedEV charging stations that are out of their intended trip paths. Itshould be understood that the drawings and detailed description hereinare to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner,and are not intended to be limiting to the particular forms and examplesdisclosed. On the contrary, included are any further modifications,changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices,and embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope hereof, as defined by the followingclaims. Thus, it is intended that the following claims be interpreted toembrace all such further modifications, changes, rearrangements,substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for controlling mobile electric vehiclecharging platforms, comprising: a plurality of mobile charging platformsfor charging an electric vehicle, each of the plurality of mobilecharging platforms comprising: an electric vehicle charger for chargingthe electric vehicle; a power source for providing power to the electricvehicle charger; a positional tracking device for determining a firstposition of a mobile charging platform; a mobile charging platformapplication implemented on a wireless device for transmitting andreceiving control data for scheduling a meeting location between themobile charging platform and an electric vehicle responsive to the firstposition of the mobile charging platform and a second position of anelectric vehicle; at least one central server implementing a mobileelectric vehicle charging system, the mobile electric vehicle chargingsystem further comprising: a communications interface for transmittingand receiving the control data between the at least one central serverimplementing the mobile electric vehicle charging system, the pluralityof mobile charging platforms and the electric vehicle; a database forstoring mobile charging platform data and electric vehicle data; and anartificial intelligence controller for generating the control data toschedule the meeting location between the mobile charging platform andthe electric vehicle responsive to the first position data received fromthe mobile charging platform application, the second position datareceived from the electric vehicle, the mobile charging platform dataand the electric vehicle data.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein each ofthe plurality of mobile charging platforms further comprises a vehiclesecuring apparatus for securing the electric vehicle to a transportposition on the mobile charging platform for charging of the electricvehicle while the mobile charging platform is in motion.
 3. The systemof claim 1, wherein the power source comprises an electric powergenerator.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the power source compriseat least one battery.
 5. The system of claim 1 further comprising aplurality of electric vehicle application each associated with adifferent electric vehicle, the electric vehicle application fortransmitting and receiving the control data for scheduling the meetinglocation between the mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle.6. The system of claim 1, wherein the artificial intelligence controllerfurther enables a scheduling of concessions at the meeting location fora driver of the electric vehicle responsive to a request received fromthe electric vehicle.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the artificialintelligence controller enables scheduling of a charging appointmentbetween the mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle at apredetermined time.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the artificialintelligence controller tracks positions of the mobile charging platformand the electric vehicle based on the meeting location and thepredetermined time and generates alerts if one of the mobile chargingplatform and the electric vehicle will be late for the chargingappointment at the predetermined time.
 9. The system of claim 7, whereinthe artificial intelligence controller reschedules a second mobilecharging platform for the charging appointment responsive to adetermination that the mobile charging platform will not make thepredetermined time.
 10. A system for controlling mobile electric vehiclecharging platforms, comprising: a plurality of mobile charging platformsfor charging an electric vehicle, each of the plurality of mobilecharging platforms comprising: an electric vehicle charger for chargingthe electric vehicle; a power source for providing power to the electricvehicle charger; a positional tracking device for determining a firstposition of a mobile charging platform; a vehicle securing apparatus forsecuring the electric vehicle to a transport position on the mobilecharging platform for charging of the electric vehicle while the mobilecharging platform is in motion; a mobile charging platform applicationimplemented on a wireless device for transmitting and receiving controldata for scheduling a meeting location between the mobile chargingplatform and an electric vehicle responsive to the first position of themobile charging platform and a second position of an electric vehicle;at least one central server implementing a mobile electric vehiclecharging system, the mobile electric vehicle charging system furthercomprising: a communications interface for transmitting and receivingthe control data between the at least one central server implementingthe mobile electric vehicle charging system, the plurality of mobilecharging platforms and the electric vehicle; a database for storingmobile charging platform data and electric vehicle data; an artificialintelligence controller for generating the control data to schedule themeeting location between the mobile charging platform and the electricvehicle responsive to the first position data received from the mobilecharging platform application, the second position data received fromthe electric vehicle, the mobile charging platform data and the electricvehicle data; wherein the artificial intelligence controller enablesscheduling of a charging appointment between the mobile chargingplatform and the electric vehicle at a predetermined time; wherein theartificial intelligence controller tracks positions of the mobilecharging platform and the electric vehicle based on the meeting locationand the predetermined time and generates alerts if one of the mobilecharging platform and the electric vehicle will be late for the chargingappointment at the predetermined time; and wherein the artificialintelligence controller reschedules a second mobile charging platformfor the charging appointment responsive to a determination that themobile charging platform will not make the predetermined time.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the power source comprises an electric powergenerator.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the power source compriseat least one battery.
 13. The system of claim 10 further comprising aplurality of electric vehicle applications each associated with adifferent electric vehicle, the electric vehicle application fortransmitting and receiving the control data for scheduling the meetinglocation between the mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle.14. The system of claim 10, wherein the artificial intelligencecontroller further enables a scheduling of concessions at the meetinglocation for a driver of the electric vehicle responsive to a requestreceived from the electric vehicle.
 15. A system for controlling mobileelectric vehicle charging platforms, comprising: a communicationsinterface for transmitting and receiving control data between the atleast one central server implementing the mobile electric vehiclecharging system, a plurality of mobile charging platforms and aplurality of electric vehicles; a database for storing mobile chargingplatform data and electric vehicle data; and at least one central serverimplementing a mobile electric vehicle charging system controller forgenerating the control data to schedule the meeting location between amobile charging platform and an electric vehicle responsive to firstposition data received from the mobile charging platform application,second position data received from the electric vehicle, the mobilecharging platform data and the electric vehicle data.
 16. The system ofclaim 15 further comprising a plurality of electric vehicle applicationseach associated with a different electric vehicle, the electric vehicleapplication for transmitting and receiving the control data forscheduling the meeting location between the mobile charging platform andthe electric vehicle.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobileelectric vehicle charging system controller further enables a schedulingof concessions at the meeting location for a driver of the electricvehicle responsive to a request received from the electric vehicle. 18.The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile electric vehicle chargingsystem controller enables scheduling of a charging appointment betweenthe mobile charging platform and the electric vehicle at a predeterminedtime.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile electric vehiclecharging system controller tracks positions of the mobile chargingplatform and the electric vehicle based on the meeting location and thepredetermined time and generates alerts if one of the mobile chargingplatform and the electric vehicle will be late for the chargingappointment at the predetermined time.
 20. The system of claim 18,wherein the mobile electric vehicle charging system controllerreschedules a second mobile charging platform for the chargingappointment responsive to a determination that the mobile chargingplatform will not make the predetermined time.